UnitedHealth shares surge after profit beat, outlook hike

UnitedHealth Group reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday that exceeded Wall Street expectations and raised its full-year profit forecast, as the company kept costs under control and benefited from improved government payments for its health insurance operations.

Following the announcement, shares of the healthcare conglomerate rose nearly 6% in premarket trading, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

The company now projects its 2026 adjusted profit per share to exceed $18.25, an increase of 50 cents from its previous outlook of more than $17.75 per share. Analysts had been expecting 2026 profit of $17.86 per share, according to data compiled by London Stock Exchange Group.

For the first quarter, UnitedHealth reported adjusted earnings of $7.23 per share, significantly above the average analyst estimate of $6.57 per share, also according to data from LSEG, representing a beat of 66 cents.

Chief Financial Officer Wayne DeVeydt said the company is maintaining a “prudent” approach to its 2026 outlook in order to preserve trust and transparency.

He added: “You may say ‘it looks like you beat the quarter by more than that. Why not raise by more?’ We like to believe our execution is the primary driver, but we want to see if any of these trends change in April and May.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev